An Altered Path
by Chrisdz
Summary: Yondaime couldn't seal Kyubi and Itachi didn't kill his clan. Hinata was never kidnapped and Hizashi never died. These three events shadow the emergance of an ancient evil and the revival of a lost power. NarutoScryed crossover
1. Course Altered

An Altered Path

Chapter 1: Course Altered

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or S-cry-ed.

AN: Hey guys, and yes i'm at it again. this is just a little project I'm trying out since I'm drawing blanks in regards to several of my other projects. So i figured why not start this one out and see how it does. I'm just going to write a few chapters and if it doesn't do well then I'll delete the story. If it does I'll continue it though the updates might be slow.

Konoha was in chaos. The civilians were running to the shelters at their quickest pace with every available chuunin and gennin trying to get them there safely. The ANBU and jounin however were all outside the village gates trying to hold off the force of nature that had descended upon their home.

Every one of the village's shinobi were present trying to stop this beast. Some had even been called back from various missions as the village needed all of its strength. Every single one of the villages shinobi clans were present though some were absolutely useless.

The Hyuga clan had been reduced to mere observers as their jyuken was useless against the beast. For one they couldn't get close to the beast due to its tails and chakra aura. If they did however the beast had so much chakra they couldn't even see its tenketsu let alone hit them.

The Uchiha were in a similar situation as the Hyuga. Everything they threw at the beast was shrugged off as if it was merely dust on the creature's fur. The only thing they had going for them was the fact their Sharingan was allowing them to dodge the beast tails, which seemed to be swinging with minds of their own.

The Aburame had already tried to send in their Kikaichu which had also proven fruitless as the bugs either exploded from taking to much chakra or were incinerated by the beast aura. The Inuzuka clan had also tried several of their strongest attacks but couldn't even but a scratch upon the giant creature.

The Yamanaka had thought to try a massive mind takeover. They had thought better about it however upon seeing the beast shrug off some of the strongest genjutsu's from the Uchiha, Yuhi and Kurama clans.

It seemed the only ones having any affect upon the creature were the Nara and Akimichi clans. The Nara had teamed up to create one giant shadow to hold the beast still. The Akimichi had enlarged themselves to fifty feet tall and were pounding away at the beast every time the Nara clan stopped it.

While all this was going on two of the village's strongest shinobi were in the hospital. They were the Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi and the Yondaime Hokage, Namikaze Minato.

"Minato calm down." Ordered Sarutobi to his pacing successor, trying to keep the younger Kage from hyperventilating.

"Calm down, ojiisan how am I suppose calm down? My wife's been forced into premature labor. Tsunade was no where to be found and we have to rely on novice's. We've got a one hundred foot tall fox demon, that hasn't been seen since the Second Great Shinobi War outside the gates tearing shit up. And the only thing I can think off to stop it is sealing it away in my own son, who hasn't even been born yet. Ojiisan tell me how I'm supposed to calm down." Ranted the Yondaime nearly pulling his hair out at the end.

Sarutobi sighed seeing the usually composed Yondaime so panicked. He supposed it had to be expected given the stress the younger man was under. Out of all of the shinobi nations they were the last one to be attacked by one of the bijuu. And it was just their luck that it would be the Kyubi to attack them.

For some reason the bijuu had all just started attacking every place they could. They weren't just limited to shinobi villages but all the villages on the continent. Well they didn't actually attack civilian villages or nations. It was more like they'd blow through while sending out a chakra pulse that would knock down several buildings and continue on their way.

Even the ones that had been captured had broken through the seals holding them before attacking the village that attacked them. Needless to say several of the shinobi villages were pissed with their Kage's. Especially since no one could manage to reseal them.

"Regardless Minato." said the old man blowing smoke from his pipe.

"You're the Hokage now, if people see you panic they will start to as well." Finished Sarutobi causing his successor to nod his accent and take a calming breath.

This happened just in time as the doors to the operating room opened. Out of the doors emerged a tired looking nurse holding a small bundle in her arms. As she handed the bundle over to Sandaime she glanced over to the Yondaime before shaking her head and leaving.

Minato's breath caught in his throat at the gesture as he dashed into the room. The feeling of dread that had been building within him coming to an all time high as he reached his wife's bedside. Almost as soon as he saw her he knew she was dead, something he couldn't tell outside due to the seals engraved on the walls to keep chakra from being felt outside the operation room.

Taking a moment to look over his wife the Yondaime burned her image into his memory, knowing now this would be the last time he'd see her. His resolve had been reinforced and he knew he'd die this night. He would have his revenge by sealing up that damned fox and forcing it to use its power to protect his son or die.

With that thought in mind he kissed his wife on the head before turning out of the door. Stopping in front of Sarutobi he held his son for the first and last time. He smiled at the sight of the boy's short blonde hair and knew he'd have bright blue eyes like his own. Kissing his newborn on his head the Hokage smiled at Sarutobi before saying his goodbyes and disappearing in a yellow flash.

Appearing on the battlefield he wasted no time in calling upon the toad boss Gamabunta. Together the two stood in front of the Kyubi ignoring the elated cries from the shinobi below about their arrival. Yondaime wasted no time in running through seals while Gamabunta engaged the giant fox.

Just as he finished the last of his seals, Kyubi sent out another chakra pulse. Still murmuring the name of his jutsu he called upon the Shinigami without hesitation. As the Shinigami appeared behind him, it immediately stuck its arm into the kitsune.

The fox roared as its soul was pulled out of its body. The shinigami struggled but managed to place it into the belly of the new born; its claws tearing into the boys flesh leaving three scars on each side of his cheeks. Minato seeing this quickly ran through a few seals and placing his hands on his son's stomach.

As soon as he touched the boy a seal appeared on the boy's stomach. The seal pulsed numerous times before finally it gave off a red glow and shattered with a sound much like broken glass much to the surprise of the Hokage and Shinigami.

Kyubi's soul emerged from the infant's body and returned to its own. Once out it simply gave what looked like a grin, its job completed the beast burst into particles of light. The particles spun in the air before bursting out in every direction with a shockwave of power.

Yondaime stood with his eyes wide in shock at such a thing. His shocked look soon turned into a pained one as the shinigami reached his hand inside him.

"_**I will not take your soul this night Namikaze Minato. Your soul was simply a trade for my help. However seeing as what you needed help to defeat got away I cannot take your soul."**_ Said the Shinigami allowing the Yondaime to breathe a sigh of relief.

"_**However you must still pay for calling me to this realm. For this you will sleep until the time comes when you are once again needed.**_"

With that said the shinigami removed his hand from the blonde before promptly fading away. The Yondaime had just enough time to notice the scars on his son's face had healed over the scars disappearing completely. Almost as soon as he noticed the Yondaime's eyes closed and he fell forward only to be caught by the tongue of the toad boss. Once his summoner was safely on the ground the toad boss disappeared in a puff of smoke.

The Next Week:

Sarutobi sighed as he sat down in the chair, behind the desk reserved for the current Hokage. When he retired he had thought his days in this chair were over. Now it appears he'd only been on vacation. Nothing last week had gone as planned. Kushina was dead, while Minato was in the hospital's deepest pits in a coma.

Their new born son slept in a crib in the room hidden within his office. The baby boy was supposed to become the container for the Kyubi and then the village hero. That way they would at least have an excuse to use the name of his mother as his clan name.

That however was out of the question now. Simply because an action like that would bring suspicion to him if he took on Kushina's clan name without a good reason. Using his fathers name was definitely out of the question, as he knew of what would happen should anyone find out the Yondaime had a child and he couldn't protect him.

Still he couldn't help but be glad Kyubi hadn't been sealed in the boy. He, unlike Minato, knew the people wouldn't see him as a hero, but the demon instead. The council would've no doubt pushed for the boy to either be turned into a weapon or be killed, neither of which he could allow.

Now however he didn't have to worry about that. What worried him was the chakra spike Naruto had let off that night. It had been right around the time Kyubi had reportedly disappeared that it had happened. According to the clan heads it had happened with each of their children as well, or it happened with their pregnant wives.

He had theorized that the shockwave released after Kyubi's departure had passed through them causing the chakra spike. Along with this several of his shinobi were in the hospital though one currently stood out among the rest. Mitarashi Anko, a chuunin still on probation. She had apparently been using a large amount of chakra attempting to summon one of her serpents when the shockwave hit her. Since then she's been in a coma and had yet to awaken.

Shaking himself from his thoughts he found he had somehow picked up his successors son and was looking out at the monument. After a while of thought he finally came upon a name he liked for the blonde who he somehow knew would be a mixture of his parents. Kazama Naruto, and judging by the giggle the boy let out he liked it as well.

"Kami must be watching over you Naruto-kun for he spared you a life full of suffering." Said the Sandaime quietly before gazing up at the monument.

Heaven:

Kami himself had just dismissed the creatures the mortals had come to know as the bijuu. Behind him his own son stood his face set in a serious frown.

"Was all that really necessary father." Asked the son.

"Would you rather go back down there" asked the father running a hand through his beard.

"No way, no how. I am not going back down there again." Stated the son his face turning determined.

"Last time I went down there I fed fifty of them with a loaf of bread, walked on water, gave an old lady her sight back, and brought someone back from the dead. I did all that and they still strung me up, regardless of the fact I knew it would happen, they could've tried to prove me wrong." Finished the son rubbing his hands together as ghost pain shot through him.

"Okay then, short of sending you down to sort this out this is all I could really do. Besides the people there are fighters, they'll pull through. Just as they did the last time." finished the father turning his sights back onto the earth below.


	2. Flashing Lights

An Altered Path

Chapter 2: Flashing Lights

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or S-cry-ed.

It was a quite night within Konohagakure no Sato. The full moon hung in the sky illuminating all under its light. On this night all was silent as the villagers and shinobi slept peacefully. In fact there were only a few people even up this late within the entire village. Those would be the night staff of the Hospital and the ANBU members who would watch over the sleeping village from the shadows.

The only other person up was the reinstated Sandaime Hokage. After the Kyubi's attack Sarutobi had been forced to come out of retirement. In doing so he had been forced to dust off his sword (read: pen) and once more do battle with the greatest enemy of his life (read: paperwork).

The old man had just finished one such battle with his hated enemy and was happy for a break in this battle. Tired eyes glanced out over the village from his office window before landing on the stone faces of the Hokage Monument. He said a silent prayer for his sensei's the Shodaime and Nidaime Hokage's. He winced as thoughts of his wayward student Tsunade passed through his mind.

His gaze however soon moved towards the sculpture of his successor to the Hokage name, the Yondaime. He sighed in the four years since the battle against the Kyubi Minato had yet to emerge from his comatose state. In fact he had been forced to publically announce the death of the incapacitated Hokage to keep the man's enemies, both outside and within the village, from making a move against the defenseless man.

His thoughts soon turned towards another blonde haired, blue eyed resident of the village. A small smile came to his face whenever he thought of the small boy he called a grandson. After the battle with Kyubi he had told everyone of the failed attempt at sealing the beast but had refused to name who the vessel would have been to everyone including the council.

As planned he had had one of his Ape summons near the battle who had quickly grabbed the newborn before anyone could see him. The next day the blonde had been taken in by an orphanage within the village. His excuse at the time he had delivered the child was he had found him within part of the ruins of one of the hospitals. Within in a week after the orphanage had had time to check up on the boy's parentage and find nothing he had adopted the boy.

Since then the blonde had been living a normal life, at least as close to normal as you could get in a shinobi village. Having the blonde around had definitely livened things up within his home as the family loved the blonde as if he was born into the Sarutobi clan.

Turning from the window the elderly shinobi opened a drawer within his desk and removed his pipe. Looking in the drawer and removing some tobacco he filled his pipe before lighting it with a minor Katon jutsu. Taking a puff he looked up just in time to be greeted with a puff of smoke which cleared to show the ANBU captain known as 'Inu'.

Next Morning:

Konoha was abuzz with excitement as the citizens of the village celebrated the signing of the peace treaty between Konoha and Kumo. Booths had been set up along the road that both the children and adults could enjoy. There had even been a parade held earlier in the day.

We now find a young boy lay out on the couch within the Sandaime's office exhausted from the events of the day. Sarutobi had woken the boy up earlier in the day and taken him to the parade. Following that they had proceeded to visit many of the booths within the village. Now he sat leaned back against the couch within the Sandaime's office, four bowl of Ichiraku's wondrous ramen stacked in front of him.

Sarutobi took a moment to look over the tired looking boy. His green shorts and black shirt had a few stains on them either from paint or from ramen respectively. A porcelain ANBU like mask was worn on the boy's face and his once spiky blonde hair was now matted down with a few of his bangs hovering over the mask.

With this description alone many would believe the boy was asleep. Sarutobi however knew otherwise, Kazama Naruto had far too much energy to be asleep right now. Sarutobi smiled over at the resting boy before glaring at the stack of papers which had forced them to return to the office earlier than expected. Still the man knew that he still had one more stop to make for the day, one in which he knew Naruto would enjoy.

"You're not tired already are you Naruto-kun?" Spoke the elderly Kage in mock shock causing the boy's head to turn his direction so he could see into the boys blue eyes.

"Too bad I had wanted you to attend a party with me today" finished the man. The blonde's eyes lit up at the words of his grandfather and he was up with his old energy seemingly replenished.

"First though we'll have to get you some more presentable clothes."

Elsewhere:

In a certain sector of the village the residents there were celebrating for another reason, today marked the fourth birthday of their clan's heiress Hyuga Hinata.

A few people however were not celebrating; they were the twins Hiashi, the oldest and head of the Hyuga clan, and Hizashi, the younger of the two and head of the branch house. It was a rare thing to see the two of them together these days both having their own duties to attend to.

Of course there was another reason the two were hardly ever around each other and that was the division within the clan. The Hyuga clan was divided into two separate parts the Main family and the Branch family. Regardless of this however both brothers currently sat together in Hiashi's study brooding over a certain even of the day.

While Hinata's birthday had indeed been celebrated a dark shadow had been cast over the event as the clan's elders had branded Hizashi's son with the Caged Bird seal forever marking him as a member of the branch family. A knock on the door broke the brothers out of their thoughts soon enough.

"Enter" said Hiashi before taking a drinking from the sake he was currently sharing with his twin.

When the door opened a man walked in wearing the Hyuga clan's casual kimono. Both of the brother's eyes narrowed seeing the bandana covering the man's forehead and began secretly planning the death of the elders.

"Hiashi-sama, Hizashi-sama" greeted the man bowing to each before continuing.

"Hokage-sama has arrived." With his message delivered the man left the presence of the twins feeling the suppressed killing intent that the twins had been holding back since he entered.

When they arrived at the front gates they found a sight which gave each of them pause. Standing next to the Hokage was a boy that could be no older than four years old. He wore blue pants with bandages wrapped around the end and a white shirt with red flames which stopped in the middle of the shirt. His blonde hair was broken into many small spikes and blue eyes looked over the grounds in awe.

'He looks just like him.' Thought the twins in sync with one another.

"It is a pleasure to see you again Hokage-sama." Said Hiashi breaking out of his shock.

"Likewise Hiashi-kun, Hizashi-kun." Returned the Hokage giving each of the men friendly smiles.

"While I'm surprised I am honored you could join us today." Said Hiashi.

"Yes well I believed Naruto-kun here needed to meet people his own age instead of staying within the compound all the time." Replied the old man getting nods from the two Hyuga's before him.

"Naruto-kun" said Sarutobi bringing the boys attention back to himself instead of the grounds.

"These are Hiashi and Hizashi the heads of the Hyuga clan's two families. We actually came here for Hiashi's daughter's birthday party." Finished Sarutobi getting a smile from the blonde at the word party.

With the introductions and greetings out of the way the group headed deeper into the estate. It was as they entered the gardens that the group came to a halt. Numerous people lay around the place having a giant picnic. Still it was only one of them that caught Naruto's attention.

It was a young girl with bluish black hair that went down to her mid back. She was wearing an white kimono with sakura petals designed on it. Her lavender eyes shined like pearls and she had a smile on her face that seemed to make the world brighter if only a little. Next to her sat an older version of her that could only be her mother.

"Tenshi (Angel)" whispered the blonde in an awe filled voice, his eyes momentarily flashing golden in color.

While the change in his eyes went unnoticed his awed whisper did not as his adoptive grandfather smiled while the two Hyuga's hid their own smiles.

"Naruto-kun these are my wife Hanako and my daughter Hinata. Hinata-chan, Hanako-chan this is Kazama Naruto he is Sarutobi-sama's grandson." Spoke Hiashi getting the introductions out of the way.

"Yoroshiku onegaishimasu Naruto-sama (Pleased to meet you)" said the blue haired girl with a smile.

"Yoroshiku onegaishimasu Hanako-sama, Hinata-sama" said the blonde bowing to both.

"O-tanjoubi omedetou gozimasu Hinata-sama (Happy Birthday)." Said Naruto getting a smile from the young girl.

"Domo arigato gozaimasu (thank you very much" came the reply.

The adults couldn't help but smile at the exchange between the children who were now acting as if they'd known each other all their lives. Sarutobi himself was definitely glad he'd brought Naruto along knowing the boy had been in desperate need of a friend his own age.

As the two children got lost within the joys of the party Sarutobi along with the Hyuga twins left to discuss things in private. This of course left the children under the watchful eyes of Hanako who watched the children with a small smile upon her face.

"That is one polite child you've got there Hokage-sama." Stated Hizashi once they were inside the privacy of Hiashi's office.

"Yes well you both know how Suzume is when it comes to manners." Replied Sarutobi getting shudders from the brothers.

"Still its great having him around he somehow managed to liven things up." Said Sarutobi with a fond smile.

"Still I was unaware that you had taken a child in Sarutobi-sama." Stated Hiashi.

"Not many people do know that. In fact only the boy's bodyguards and the clan know." Informed Sarutobi getting a nod from the Hyuga head.

"I found Naruto-kun four years ago in the rubble of one of the destroyed sectors of the hospital. After the orphanage failed to find anyone related to him I adopted him myself." Explained Sarutobi getting understanding nods from the men.

Soon enough the hour became late and the party began to wind down. Hinata and Naruto had ended up falling asleep after watching the sun set and had been moved to Hinata's room by Hanako. Sarutobi smiled seeing the two children sleeping and deciding to let the blonde stay left in a puff of smoke promising to pick the boy up in the morning.

Hours later a shadowy figure crept silently within the walls of the Hyuga estate. As they navigated their way through the estate the figure made as little noise as possible as they stuck to the shadows. Finally reaching the room where his target should be he slid the door open as quietly as possible.

He cursed silently seeing his target being held within the arms of the blonde boy almost protectively. With a quick usage of the Kawarimi no jutsu he switched his target with one of the larger stuffed animals within the room before hurriedly making his way out the door. Almost as soon as he stepped out the blonde's eyes snapped open glowing gold.

Not even five minutes later the entire estate was awake and on full alert as the guards had passed by and found their heiresses room empty. Hiashi's Byakugan blazed to life with a blast of chakra as he pushed his sight to it's limit. He quickly found the fleeing man and took off after him a trail of dust following in his wake.

Meanwhile the kidnapper was making his way through the forest but was surprised when he found the blonde boy standing in front of him with his back leaning against a tree. Naruto turned to the man his eyes still glowing gold and his pupils having turned to slits. The man raised an eyebrow at seeing the boy's eyes before shrugging it off. Pushing his back off the tree the boy looked the man dead in the eyes. Unfortunately the intimating look in his eyes was lost due to his rather small stature.

"Those are some unique eyes you have there gaki, perhaps if I take you back as well Raikage-sama will give me a bonus." Said the man with a chuckle.

Naruto grinned a grin fit more for a demon than a child at those words as his chakra began to escape him causing the mans eyes to widen at the amount of power being put out. He watched in awe as a strange light began to surround the area before the ground started shaking and chunks of earth and trees seemed to just disappear.

Hiashi and Sarutobi arrived on the scene not three minutes later to find the area damaged beyond belief with the kidnapper on the ground twitching and Naruto sleeping within a tree, Hinata held protectively in his arms. Looking around both men wondered just what could have caused all this damage and exactly where that power surge had come from.

AN: That's it for this chapter Next chapter will come when it comes as I said I'm not focusing on this fic right now. Still tell me what u think so I could decide if this fic is worth the effort or not.


	3. Team Seven

An Altered Path

An Altered Path

Chapter 3: Team Seven

AN: Hello all it's been a while. I know I said I'd do the Uchiha Massacre this chapter but I changed my mind since it was too damn hard to do. In other news it seems Kishimoto is trying to make up for his fowl ups with Naruto but I think it's a bit too late. Anyway I don't have much to say so here's the long awaited third chapter.

Start Now:

It was a bright and beautiful day in Konohagakure no Sato. Birds sang as the citizens of the village went about their daily business. Eight years have passed since the attempted kidnapping of Hyuga Hinata and much has changed. One of the biggest changes to the village had been what had become known as the Uchiha Massacre. It was called this as in the span of one night the entire Uchiha clan was destroyed leaving only two survivors.

This event however affected the village greatly as the Uchiha Clan had made up Konoha's police force. Because of this ANBU had been moved in to fill this void when they could be put to better use in the field doing the high class missions they were trained for. The two survivors were brothers and the children of the deceased clan head Itachi and Sasuke.

Itachi who had been an ANBU captain at the time had been away from the village on a mission and had only arrived the next morning. Sasuke who had been only eight at the time had passed out after training and had only been found the following morning by a pair of chuunin who had just happened to be walking by. All in all many believed that the two survivors had survived through sheer luck.

Regardless today was a bright day for the village as today was the day that the Leaf Village's newly graduated gennin received their assigned teams. As Umino Iruka looked at the gathered graduates he couldn't help but smile in pride. Of course some of those gathered held far more promise than majority of the others, but that was expected with the lineage those few held. Clearing his throat the chuunin went through two quick seals before unleashing his well known technique.

"SHUT UP YOU BRATS." Roared Iruka loudly his head becoming several sizes larger as fire seemed to light up within his eyes. This was Iruka's famous 'Kyotou no jutsu (Big Head Technique). The effects, as always, were instant as the entire class miraculously appeared in their seats and were quiet enough that one could hear a pen drop.

"Alright firstly I'd like to once again congratulate all of you for making it this far. You are now gennin of our village be proud of that fact. From this point on however things will only be harder for you and I earnestly pray for most of you." Said Iruka calmly successfully scaring more than a few of those gathered.

Unfortunately we had an unbalanced number of graduates this year so two of you will be placed with a more experienced gennin." Finished Iruka shocking the gathered graduates.

"With that said I will now be announcing the teams each of you will be placed in. Team 1…" from here Iruka was ignored by many as the gathered gennin waited to hear their name called.

"Team Eight will consist of Hyuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, and Aburame Shino. Your jounin instructor will be Yuhi Kurenei." Stated Iruka before moving down the list.

Hinata's head perked up at this. The now twelve year old Hinata had changed a lot over the years though she still greatly resembled her mother. Standing at a height of five feet even she now wore a pair of dark blue pants and a short sleeved shirt of the same color which contained her small C-cup breast. She had grown her hair out and now let it hang to her mid back. She had her newly gained hitae-tae tied around her neck showing her unmarred forehead, and status as a Hyuga Main House member while a small smile graced her face.

Though the years had changed Hinata had remained mostly the same. Though the thing that had changed however was she no longer displayed any of the nervous habits she'd had as a child, mostly due to all the time spent around Naruto. She was still the kind girl she had always been though it was well known within her clan she wasn't one that you wanted to fight since even if you put her down she wouldn't stay down.

Her lavender eyes moved over to her teammates and she inwardly frowned at one of them. Inuzuka Kiba was loud, brash, and overconfident and while she didn't mind loud people Kiba was another subject entirely. The Inuzuka heir was a known pervert and like all females she didn't approve of it. The boy had even been caught peeping in on the girls changing room before; she'd also caught him leering at her breast a few times. She sighed at that she'd have to start wearing a coat from now on.

Shino on the other hand was an enigma. The boy had spent most of his time in the academy by himself, and though there were several rumors they were far too farfetched for her to put much stock into them. What she did know however was that Shino was quiet and only spoke when necessary and as few words as necessary as well.

"Team Ten will consist of Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Choji, and Yamanaka Ino. Your jounin sensei will be Sarutobi Asuma." Said Iruka getting a scream of horror from Ino.

Hinata smirked at that. Ino was one of those females that gave kunoichi a bad name as she would rather shop, gossip, or think about boys than train. The sad fact about it was that every other female in her class was the same way. The only thing Ino had up on them was that she actually had clan techniques, though this did little since as stated before she'd rater waste time than train.

Shikamaru could only be described as lazy. All she'd ever seen the boy do was sleep. It didn't matter what they were doing the Nara boy would sleep through it. This was probably why he was ranked dead last in the class. There wasn't much to say about Choji though. He was kind and had the most raw physical strength in the academy even if he was a bit… larger than most. If there was one thing she knew about Choji or any Akimichi though it was to never call them fat, there were easier and less painful ways of committing suicide.

As Iruka looked over the list for the last few names a bright smile lit up his face at one of the names on the list catching the attention of the entire class. That smile however faded when certain things played through his mind when he remembered why that name was there.

"As for Sasuke and Sakura you two will form the new Team 7 along with Kazama Naruto. Your jounin instructor will be Hatake Kakashi." Said Iruka getting mixed reactions from the gathered graduates.

Hinata herself would've let her jaw drop if she thought it wouldn't get back to her father. She and Naruto had been best friends since they were four years old so of course she'd known he would be assigned to a new team. Still she had believed that Naruto would get more experienced teammates. If it wasn't for that she'd have gone to her father to have her placed with Naruto instead of being stuck with the pervert that was Kiba.

Within the meeting chamber of the Hokage Tower the gathered jounin looked at the scene in a sort of shock thanks to the Sandaime's crystal ball. Sarutobi chuckled at the looks that the gathered jounin had on their faces. Even his own son Asuma was in a state of shock his cigarette haven fallen from his mouth while his jaws hung open.

As he looked around he noticed that only one of the gathered jounin seemed unmoved and that was Kakashi himself. While he couldn't see behind his mask just the fact that he hadn't even glanced up from the pages of his ever present orange book was enough of a clue. He suppose he should have expected as much though since all of those gathered knew of the boy's history. Shaking himself from his thoughts he cleared his throat loudly successfully gaining the attention of the gathered shinobi.

"Alright you all know which squads you have. And while I know some of you may be disappointed with your assigned teams please remember they were chosen for a reason. You are to pick up your gennin from the Academy in an hours time. Dismissed." Stated the Sandaime just before the room was covered in smoke as each of the gathered jounin dispersed leaving only two people remaining within the room.

Four hours later found only two people left in the academy classroom, Sasuke and Sakura. It had been three hours since every other jounin instructors had arrived to pick up their teams leaving the two alone. Both of them were glaring at the door when it opened to show a tall jounin with his silver hair sticking up at an angle. He wore the standard Konoha shinobi uniform with his hitae-tae slanted to cover his right eye.

'_So he's not here._' Thought Kakashi with a sigh as he ignored the glares and weak killing intent directed at him.

"Well my first impression of you is…" started the jounin causing the two to perk up.

"…I hate you." Finished the man his visible eye curving into a smile as the two students face faulted.

"Anyway follow me."

With that said the man turned and left the two students quickly following after him. As soon as they exited the school grounds he hit the rooftops headed straight for the Hokage Monument. Twenty minutes later the trio exited the staircase that lead to the top of the Monument and quickly headed towards the head of the Yondaime.

"What do you want Hatake-san, and who are the brats?" questioned a voice catching the attention of the two students.

Walking to Kakashi's sides both were surprised at the sight that greeted them. Lying in front of them was a boy who looked to be the same age as them. He had short spiky blonde hair and wore a pair of black pants with a dark red short sleeved shirt. A Konoha hitae-tae was tied around his right arm, a black cloth replacing the standard blue. Finally

he wore an open black vest with a pair of black shinobi sandals on his feet.

"I was just coming to speak with you Naruto-kun. As for these two they're two of the students I got this year Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura." Stated Kakashi only for Naruto to snort while a smirk formed on his face.

"I've heard of those two. According to rumor the Uchiha is an emo and was a favorite to be this year's number one rookie. The Haruno is supposedly a pink haired half harpy fangirl at least from what I've been told." Stated the blonde with a smirk while the two mentioned students began to fume.

"Make's no difference really though, they'll be back in the academy in a few days along with whoever was unfortunate enough to be the other teammate. After all they got you for sensei." Finished the blonde not even glancing at them.

"What's that supposed to mean?" questioned Sasuke glaring slightly getting a bigger smirk from the blonde.

"So Cyclopes didn't tell you. Basically you have to pass two tests in order to become a real gennin. The first is given by the academy to see if you have the skill to become a gennin. The second is given by the sensei's to see if you actually deserve to be one. Those who don't pass are either sent back to the academy or dropped from the program altogether. According to rumor in seven years Kakashi has never passed a team. So you two should get ready to return those hitae-tae." He finished and smirked at the audible gulp he heard from behind him.

"I-is this true Kakashi-sensei?" questioned Sakura a slight stutter in her voice.

"Yep. The test for our squad has a failure rate of 66.6 percent and will be held at training ground seven. Be there at 6 am and don't eat breakfast you'll just throw up. That's all I need you guys for, dismissed. " Said Kakashi with his face buried within the pages of a small orange book. Once he felt the two academy students leave he placed his book away before turning to the young blonde gennin.

"Ma Naruto there was no need to scare them. I mean they could pass, you are on their team after all." Stated Kakashi only to freeze as the boy's eyes snapped open showing a pair of raging blue eyes.

"I'm sorry Hatake but I think I heard you wrong. For a second it sounded as if you just told me I was placed with a pair of academy students." Said Naruto as his blue eyes glared into the jounin's single exposed eye.

"I did, Hokage-sama believes that it would be in your best interest to have me as a sensei." Stated Kakashi expertly ignoring the glare from the young gennin

"Sorry Hatake but I have no desire to play ninja with a couple brats who don't even know the meaning of the word." Stated the blonde as his eyes closed once

"So you'd rather stay in the village and not do missions?" asked the Cyclopes only for the boy to snort.

"D-ranks aren't missions." Stated the boy simply.

"Still this is the only way for you to get out of this village and back into action. Otherwise you'll be stuck here and most likely remain a gennin even longer." Returned Kakashi.

The blonde didn't even twitch at the Copy Nin's words. In fact if Kakashi didn't know any better he'd swear the boy was asleep. Sighing Kakashi turned to leave though before he did he stopped and spoke once more.

'

"Look Naruto I know this isn't the ideal situation that your in. I also know that you're well informed about the…quirks of your teammates. Still Hokage-sama believed this would be the best team for you. You've always trusted his judgment before, why doubt him now." Stated Kakashi before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

Naruto scowled as Kakashi left knowing that what he said had been true. He had never once doubted his grandfather's judgment, though after that day he wished that he had. Such thoughts however were broken as yet another shadow covered him blocking the rays from the sun. Opening only one of his eyes a smile slid across his face at seeing Hinata standing before him. Motioning to his side he was unsurprised when the Hyuga girl moved to lye on his right side, as she always did when he was here.

"Ne Naru-kun do you want to go out tonight?" asked the girl as she shifted to look at him.

"How many times do I have to ask you not to call me that?" asked the blonde with a sigh.

Hinata giggled at that knowing how much he hated the nickname. Of course it helped that nearly no one ever called him by his first name always referring to him as 'Kazama'. In fact as far as she knew only a few people ever called him by his first name. Yet at the same time she knew he would never really make her stop as long as she didn't call him that in front of anyone.

Naruto himself hid a smile as the girl giggled to herself. He didn't have many people that he could actually call real friends. In fact aside from his family Hinata was all he really had now that he could call an actual friend. He'd never really been that close to the children of his graduating class, mostly because of his age. The fact that he was two years younger than everyone else was a sore spot for some of his classmates who had alienated him because of it. The female half however is what had originally made up his fan club which has since grown significantly.

"So how do you like your team?" questioned the boy breaking the silence. With a small smile he listened quietly as Hinata informed him of how things went and her opinion of her team.

The next day found the boy arriving at training ground seven a little after 9 o'clock. As he walked up he smirked at the obvious discontent that his so called teammates were displaying. He inwardly snickered at that, they obviously hadn't done their research on Kakashi otherwise they'd have known he was always at least three hours late.

As he casually walked up both of the freshly graduated gennin noticed him coming. Sasuke stayed silent as ever while his eyebrow began to twitch. Sakura however took in a breath prepared to reproach the blonde for his tardiness when a puff of smoke cut her off before she could say a word. When the smoke cleared Kakashi stood in the clearing with his nose buried within the pages of his book.

'Hm so he came after all.' Thought the masked jounin smirking beneath his mask.

"YOU'RE LATE!" screamed out Sakura at the jounin who'd had her waiting since six o'clock.

"Sorry a black cat crossed my path so I had to take the long way." Stated Kakashi as his eye turned up in a smile.

"Anyway since we didn't do this yesterday we're going to go through some introductions. Tell me your name, likes, dislikes, and dreams for the future." Said Kakashi.

"Hm sensei why don't you go first and show us how it's done." Said Sakura causing Naruto to snort at the girls stupidity.

"Ok well my name is Hatake Kakashi. I have a few likes, a few dislikes, and as for dreams…well I have a few hobbies. Now why don't you go pinky." Stated Kakashi with another eye smile.

"My name is Haruno Sakura. My likes are… (glances at Sasuke and giggles) my dislikes are Ino-pig. My dream for the future (glances at Sasuke again and giggles)."

'_Girls these days are more interested in romance than ninjutsu._' thought Kakashi with a sigh.

'...' thought Sasuke not even paying attention to the girl.

'_Yep definitely a fangirl._' Thought Naruto with a sigh.

"Alright broody your up." Called Kakashi getting a weak glare from the boy.

"My name is _Uchiha_ Sasuke. I have no likes and I dislike everything including my fangirls. My dream is more of an ambition and that is to hunt down the killer of my clan and kill them." Said Sasuke.

'_Hm seems like an avenger, this will be good_.' Thought Kakashi with a mental sigh.

'_Sasuke-kun is so cool_.' Thought Sakura with hearts in her eyes.

'_Definitely an emo. Hinata-chan really knows how to call them_.' Thought Naruto.

"Alright blondie your turn." Stated Kakashi breaking the blonde from his thoughts.

"The names Kazama Naruto. Since I don't know or like any of you you'll call me Kazama. My likes aren't really any of your concern. I dislike getting involved with things that aren't my problem along with a host of other things. Oh and Iwa-nin I can't forget those blockheads. As far as dreams are concerned well that's not really any of your business now is it." finished Naruto with a smirk.

'_Kid's good. He disguised the fact that he doesn't like his teammates by not allowing them to call him by his first name and didn't give up anything that could be used against him. His dislike for Iwa-nin is expected especially for a leaf nin even if he's only a gennin. He was defiantly trained well_.' Thought Kakashi.

'_Damn it we didn't learn anything at all_.' Thought both Sakura and Sasuke in regards to their blonde teammate.

"Alright with that out of the way lets get on with this test." Stated Kakashi before pulling out two small bells.

AN: Alright third chapter is done. I'm not doing the test because we all know it and know that they pass. Along with that I don't want to give away too much about Naruto just yet. Next chapter things are going to start heating up nicely and I'll have a nice little timeskip for you guys. Thanks for reading and please review. Till next time LATER.


	4. Wave

An Altered Path

Chapter 4: Wave

AN: Hello all. I'm back again. I know its been a while but truthfully speaking i had absolutely zero motivation to write this chapter. I still didn't feel like writing it but did so just because people were still checking out the story. That said updates for this will be sporadic at best for the time being.

Start Now:

Kazama Naruto. It was a name well known in the Hidden Leaf Village. It was the name of the Sandaime Hokage's adoptive grandson. However it was also the name of the greatest genius to come out of Konoha's shinobi academy in years, the boy graduating two years early at the head of the class. While the word gets tossed out every year within the village it seemed lately Naruto was one that apparently deserved the title. This was especially true as his grandfather had not only not known he was skipped ahead nor did he know the boy had taken the exams and passed with flying colors.

To Uchiha Sasuke the boy was an enigma. He had seen him as they walked through town being greeted by all of the older, more serious kunoichi and shinobi. Still the boy didn't act anything like what a genius was supposed to act like. Every time he could get the chance he was lying on his back doing nothing yet he still managed to best him in everything they did with seemingly no effort. Hell even the damned cat Tora had a different reaction to him as it could be seen even now curled up in his arms while it had taken pleasure in scratching him the hell up.

Naruto himself didn't like either of his so called teammates. He could tell that the intel he had on them was completely accurate. The Uchiha was a spoiled punk with an elitist attitude and an ego the size of the stick up elder Danzo's ass. The Haruno was much worse she never trained, she didn't take her career seriously, and all she did was cheer on said emo Uchiha. He could tell she'd be killed on her first mission. By comparison he liked Tora, then again he'd known Tora for a while. He had stumbled upon her when he was about nine and they had hit it off immediately. He also was one of the few to know that Tora was actually a ninja cat and was brought in to test out gennin teams and get them to train.

Those she didn't like always ended up like the Uchiha feeling like a scratching post. Madame Shijimi was a great actor making it look like Tora's escapes were accidents most people would never know she just liked messing with kids. Still as he entered his grandfather's office and handed Tora off he could only smirk at the small wink the Fire Lords wife gave him as she left the room.

"Well now Kakashi, it seems team seven has completed another mission. If you like we still have a few available today. We have a couple of babies that need babysitting, a fence needing painting, the Inuzuka kennels could use some extra hands…"

"NO TORA COME BACK."

"…or you catch Tora." Naruto could tell the old man was trying to hold back a laugh at that.

"NO. No more chores, I'm sick of doing things that people are just too lazy to do themselves. These chores do nothing to further my abilities or even test them!" exclaimed Sasuke causing both Naruto and Kakashi to sigh while the Haruno swooned.

"I thought Itachi was working on this kids patience and temper." Muttered Hiruzen causing Naruto to chuckle which he hid with a fake cough.

"You idiot! These missions aren't about you, the key word is TEAM. They are exercises to help build teamwork!"

Naruto smirked at the words from the scarred chuunin working with his grandfather. Umino Iruka he'd been his initial teacher and had been the one to recommend he be bumped up to the graduating class. He had also been Hinata's academy instructor and had apparently never liked the Uchiha.

"Calm down Iruka, you and I both know how tiresome D-ranks can be."

Though it was said in a pleasant tone Naruto, Iruka, and Kakashi could all tell it was masking his annoyance at the moment. Naruto was used to it though having grown up with the man he knew his moods well. He had also worked in the tower for a while so he knew his grandfather liked his gennin hazing and was annoyed that someone had the nerve to cut it short.

"What say you Kakashi, do you think your team is ready for something a little higher?" asked the old man.

"Hm, I suppose a C-rank wouldn't hurt." Said Kakashi.

"Very well then." Said the old man before handing a paper to one of his aides who quickly left.

Barely two minutes later the door behind them opened as the aid returned escorting an old man. Naruto fought the urge of curling his lip in disgust as the strong scent of sake hit him. He'd developed heightened senses after the fiasco with the Kumo nin and they were a bitch and a half to deal with.

"Eh this is the group that spose' to be protecting me? Their just kids, they don't even look like they could protect their own lunch money especially that pink haired one." Said the old man.

"What was that." Said the Haruno dangerously as she took a step forward only to be hit upside the head by Kakashi's book causing her to stop short.

"You're not supposed to hurt the client but protect them baka." Hissed Kakashi before turning to the man.

"There's nothing to worry about sir. This is a low risk mission, besides if anything unexpected occurs I'm a jounin so I'll handle it." Said Kakashi with an eye smile.

"Humph, I'm Tazuna the super awesome bridge builder. You brats are gonna be protecting me back to my home in Nami no Kuni and will do so while I build a bridge to connect our two countries." Said the old man.

"Very well. Everyone pack enough for two weeks and meet at the gate in an hour." Said Kakashi dismissing the gennin while leading Tazuna away.

Seeing this Naruto sighed before shaking his head at his grandfather as he left the room. Seeing this Hiruzen sighed sadly for the boy.

"Iruka, make sure there's nothing off about this mission. I'd hate for something bad to happen on another routine mission for him, especially since this is the first time he's left since." Said Hiruzen.

* * *

Twenty minutes later found Naruto being making his way through the Hyuga Compound escorted by one of the compounds guards. Since the incident with the Kumo ambassador all those years ago Hiashi allowed him entrance whenever he liked as long as it was daylight. He had stated that if he ever caught him after dark though he'd be marrying Hinata soon after, he still didn't know if the man had been joking.

It didn't take long for them to reach the main family dojo. Upon entering he could see that Hinata was in the middle of a spar with Hizashi while her cousin Neji, Hiashi, her sister Hanabi and her mother Hanako looked on.

"Good morning Hanako-oba-chan, Hanabi-chibi-chan." Said the blond as he sat beside the woman who hugged him tightly while the little girl glared.

"Good morning Naru-chan, are you here to pick up Hinata-chan for a date?" questioned Hanako.

"No oba-chan. I'd like to live a lot longer for the moment. While I'm pretty sure I can take Neji I'm not crazy enough to go against Hizashi-oji-san or Hiashi-oji-san yet." Said Naruto getting Hanako to giggle.

"Ne nii-san are you and onee-san really getting married?" questioned Hanabi causing Naruto to choke on air while Hanako went wide eyed.

"Where'd you hear that from?" questioned Naruto his eyes darting around quickly.

"I heard one of the ladies outside my room say you would be a good husband for nee-san." Answered Hanabi causing the blond to sigh in relief while Hanako looked contemplative.

"Don't worry about that okay. It sounds like people trying to play matchmaker." Said Naruto.

"Ah but I want you to be my brother." As she said this Naruto swore if she wasn't a Hyuga she'd be pouting visibly instead of just audibly.

"Alright that's enough." Called Hiashi ending both the conversation and the spar.

"How are you doing this morning Naruto-kun?" asked Hiashi causing Hinata to pause for a moment before she continued moving for her towel.

"Pretty good actually. Unfortunately I won't be able to make dinner tonight, the Uchiha threw a hissy fit so I have to go to Nami no Kuni on a bodyguard detail for a few weeks." Said Naruto.

"I see. We will just have to reschedule when you return." Said Hiashi patting the boy on the shoulder as he left the dojo with his wife and youngest daughter.

"So your finally off the reserve list." Said Neji as he approached.

Neji was the pride of the Hyuga clan despite being a branch member. Not only was he the greatest genius the clan had seen in a century but he was one of the few people in the village to possess an Alter. Alter, it was the ability to alter physical matter into a new form and Neji was among the strongest with the ability.

"I'd rather still be on it. Not only am I back to doing D-ranks but I've got two teammates who collectively are worthless. Separately their going to get each other killed I of course won't be there to die with them." Retorted the blond.

"Just don't let anyone hear you say that in the street." Said Hizashi as he made his way over.

"I wouldn't even think it if you'd have taken me on your gennin team." Retorted the blond with a smile showing he was joking.

"Anyway keep working on that chakra control Naruto." Said Hizashi patting him on the shoulder and making his way out with Neji who just smirked.

"So you can't make it to dinner." Said Hinata as she sat down beside him.

"No, sorry."

"It's okay. It's not the first time, though I was getting used to having you around again." Said Hinata.

"Pretty soon it will be you cancelling." Said Naruto with a chuckle.

"I'll try to put it off longer. Are you sure you're ready for this though?" retorted Hinata.

"It's nothing I haven't done before Hina-chan. But if you mean the team then no, that's nowhere near ready." Said Naruto with a sigh.

"We should have been placed together." Said Hinata.

"Nah, we spend a lot of time together. This is for the best, this way you can step up and take control of your team." Explained Naruto.

"You'll be careful, right?" questioned Hinata worriedly.

"Of course I will. I'll be back before you know it."

Not far from the dojo Hanako sighed happily as she watched them hug and part ways before deactivating her Byakugan. Turning towards her husband she grabbed his arm and began walking back towards her garden.

"You know Hiashi-kun, Naruto really would be a great husband for her." Said Hanako causing him to misstep.

* * *

The members of team seven had all arrived right on time for their newly assigned mission. Kakashi of course was the last to arrive but seeing as how he was leading the client no one raised a fuss about it. Naruto found that he and Kakashi were the only ones there that weren't lugging around packs as both held their possessions in summoning scrolls. After a quick equipment check Kakashi was satisfied that Sakura at least did that right and the group headed out of the gates.

I'd like to say that the journey was silent and enjoyable but that would be a lie. Instead the first leg of the journey consisted of Sakura pestering Sasuke and the three males trying to tune her out with varying degrees of success. The second leg had at least been a bit educational as Kakashi had given a brief lecture about Nami no Kuni after Sakura had asked if they had a ninja village. It was as they were walking after this when he noticed it out of the corner of his eye, something seemingly insignificant but with the weather they'd had lately very out of place, a puddle.

Turning slightly he could see that Kakashi had also seen it and fell back to walk just ahead of him. As they passed it the blond mentally counted down and was not surprised when a pair of nuke-nin burst from the puddle and moved to launch themselves forward. Flipping his hands into a ram seal he spiked his chakra causing the explosive tagged kunai he'd dropped just behind the puddle to detonate throwing the nuke-nin forward.

The explosion caused two things the first was causing the nuke-nin to launch forward unexpectedly and the second was catch the attention of the rest of the group. As such Sasuke, Sakura and Tazuna were just in time to see the two nuke-nin be caught by a double clothesline from Kakashi straight to the throat sending them down hard.

"Nice timing with the explosive Naruto-kun." Commented Kakashi causing the blond to smirk.

"Wait what just happened?" questioned Sakura confused.

"You two need to pay more attention to your surroundings if you'd actually like to continue to live. Those two were hiding within a puddle of all things when it hasn't rained in months." Commented Naruto shaking his head in disgust.

Before they could travel much more however a figure leapt out of the trees behind them to land amongst the group. The figure turned out to be a woman who wore a rust orange skirt and fishnet shirt above which was a jounin flak vest and a tan trench coat above that. She had purple hair that was pulled back into a tail and a Konoha hitae-tae on her forehead.

"Good I caught you guys in time." Said the woman.

"What's going on Anko?" questioned Kakashi.

"The old man sent me as backup. We got some intel that Nami no Kuni was undergoing a hostile takeover headed up by some slime called Gato. Tazuna-san's bridge poses a threat to that. However having a bridge connecting Hi no Kuni with such a prominent trading center is too good a chance to pass up. So long story short you get another jounin for back-up." Said Anko with a grin.

"Well then since this is your specialty these two are all yours." Said Kakashi motioning to the downed nuke-nin at his feet.

"Oh you get me the sweetest gifts Kakashi." Said Anko.

"You should thank Naruto he giftwrapped them I just set them down." Said Kakashi.

"Well thank you wonder boy, you're a real sweetie." Said Anko before grinning darkly at the two nuke-nin and dragging them into the woods.

For a few moments there was silence before a loud and pained scream ripped through the air causing Sakura to wince. Several minutes and screams later Anko returned minus two nuke-nin whistling a jaunty tune.

"Ok, those two nuke-nin, were a pair of former Kiri chuunin called known as the Demon Brothers. Surprise, surprise their on Gato's payroll and todays lucky target was Tazuna. They didn't know much more except that Gato had hired a jounin as well but they didn't know who." Informed Anko.

"Well that's no problem as the two of us are jounin ourselves." Said Kakashi with an eye smile.

* * *

The next morning found the group boarding a small boat whose owner proceeded to sneak them into the country by way of rowing through the concealment of the mist. They had rested the night near the border and had gotten an early start so they could get in using the morning mist. As they rowed passed they could all see the incomplete bridge and had to admit it was an impressive sight. Finally the boats owner took them as far as he was willing to go and they got off with Tazuna thanking the man for his assistance.

It was as they were walking on the shores of Nami no Kuni that Sasuke suddenly whipped out a kunai and threw it into the bushes to his side. As they moved over to check what he hit they found a small white rabbit scared shitless of the piece of metal death that had nearly skewered it. Kakashi and Anko were even more on guard though recognizing its fur coloring as out of season and had only just barely managed to yell out a warning and pull others down before a massive zanpato flew over them taking off a few inches of Kakashi's hair.

"Well now if this isn't a surprised. 'Copy Ninja' Hatake Kakashi, and Mitarashi Anko 'Konoha's Black Mamba'. No wonder the demon brothers failed." Said a new voice its own standing on the hilt of the massive weapon.

The voice belonged to a man who stood at about 6 ft. in height and had short spiky black hair. His torso was bare except for the belt which was definitely used to carry the weapon and he wore a pair of somewhat baggy stripped pants. He had bandages wrapped around the lower portion of his face like a mask and wore wrist-warmers that extended up to his elbows on his hands and a matching pair on his legs.

"Well if it isn't A-rank nuke-nin Momochi Zabuza. I didn't think a guy like you would stoop low enough to work for a slime like Gato.

"Meh, we all need funds Hatake." Retorted Zabuza with a shrug.

"That said hand over the old man and you and yours can all go about your business." Said Zabuza.

"Well you know that's not possible, it's bad for business." Retorted Kakashi.

"Oh well can't say I didn't at least try the easy way." Said Zabuza disappearing along with his blade.

They didn't have to look for him for long as he appeared standing upon the water with one arm held straight up and the other held in front of his chest his hand in a half seal.

"Kirigakure no jutsu."

With that intoned name the mist around them thickened to the point where each person could only see a few inches in front of their face.

"Eight points the larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular vein, brain, kidney, and heart. Now which vital organ do you want to get struck at?" echoed Zabuza's voice from seemingly all around them.

Sasuke shook as the killing intent of the area began to affect him while Sakura was shuddering in undisguised fear. Naruto narrowed his eyes as he tried to peer through the mist and held a pair of kunai in a reverse grip while Anko simply smirked and held one of her own kunai.

"You guys hang back. For a guy like this I'll have to get serious."

With that said Kakashi reached up and pulled his hitae-tae so that it sat straight across his forehead revealing his hidden eye. The eye itself was scarlet red with a black pupil, three black como markings surrounding the pupil connected by a dotted line.

"Well would you look at this revealing the Sharingan right from the jump." Stated Zabuza with a chuckle.

Just as he said this the nuke-nin appeared behind the Sharingan user and bisected him with his giant butcher knife only for Kakashi to fall into water. In the next instant Kakashi appeared driving a kunai through Zabuza's throat only for him to do the same. In the next Zabuza appeared once more and kicked Kakashi in the stomach after having missed his initial attack with his sword. The force of the kick sent Kakashi flying back before he landed in a roll that sent him into the water.

Taking a moment to recover from the attack the leaf jounin moved to leap from the water only to find he was trapped in a large bubble with the masked nuke-nin holding it. Before Zabuza could even say a word outside of his jutsu's name a large purple snake leaped out of the water straight towards him forcing him to leap away and release his jutsu.

"Thanks for the hand Anko." Called Kakashi without turning to face the woman who now had the snake coiled around her body as if it was embracing her.

"You got lucky that last time, but the same trick won't work on me twice." Stated the Sharingan user.

Zabuza scoffed and began flying through seals at an astonishing rate an action Kakashi mimicked. At the same time the two finished their chain of seals each of them calling up a large serpentine dragon from the water that clashed and took each other out. Once again in unison the two of them started up another long chain of seals only for Zabuza to pause halfway through upon seeing a copy of himself across from him. That pause slight as it was had been all the opening Kakashi needed to finish the chain of seals before the original caster could.

"Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu (Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique)!" exclaimed Kakashi.

Immediately afterwards a swirl of water appeared in front of Kakashi before it surged upwards high above them and then back down forming a massive wave of water. Zabuza had no time to react as the wave slammed into him with crushing force carrying him through the forest slamming through trees in the process before meeting a boulder strong enough to halt it. Kakashi immediately followed in the attacks wake and came across Zabuza sitting against the cracked boulder looking like a puppet with its strings cut.

"As I said Zabuza, I see the future and yours is death."

Before Kakashi could act on his words however a trio of senbon flew through the air and embedded themselves in Zabuza's neck knocking him over onto his side.

"Well look at that you were right, he did die."

Turning towards the voice Kakashi saw a figure garbed in blue robes with a white porcelain mask covering their face the symbol of Kiri etched into the upper portion. In the next instant the figure he recognized as a hunter-nin had appeared between him and Zabuza.

"If you'll excuse me I have work to do." Said the Hunter-nin before both they and Zabuza's body along with the blade vanished in a whirl of water.

Shrugging his shoulders Kakashi made his way back through the forest to meet up with his team, client, and Anko. As he reached them he saw Anko idly cleaning her nails with a senbon of her own. He and Anko shared a brief look before he turned his attention to Tazuna and ask him to lead the way to his home.

It didn't take them long to reach the house of the bridge builder and they had no more encounters to interrupt them. Tazuna's house set on the outskirts thankfully so they didn't have to go through the entire village to get there. They were greeted by Tazuna's daughter Tsunami who opened the door for them after Tazuna had knocked in a specific pattern. Tsunami was a rather warm woman who had greeted them all politely and scolded her father for not informing the shinobi of the full dangers of the mission after she had invited them in. they had also had the distinct mispleasure of meeting her son Inari who stated quite plainly that they should all go home if they didn't wish to die before turning his back on the group and leaving.

"Well Tsunami-san do you happen to have a place we can all rest, we're a little weary from the journey." Said Anko.

"Of course this place used to operate as an Inn so please follow me."

Tsunami led them through a hall which held several rooms Anko and Sakura taking one while the boys and Kakashi had the other. Almost immediately upon entering Kakashi collapsed on the single futon that was kept in the center of the room. Seeing this Naruto sighed and went about removing his own supplies for their stay in Nami no Kuni.

AN: That's it chapters done. I know its pathetically short but once again I had no inspiration for this fic, hell I'm surprised I actually managed to write the whole thing in the few hours I had since my last update, not counting the time I spent sleeping lol. Anyway thanks for reading and leave reviews. Till next time LATER.


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